Coast Guard MSD Kodiak responds to sunken vessel

JUNEAU, Alaska — Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Kodiak personnel are working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in response to the sinking of the FWS research vessel Arluk in St. Herman’s Harbor, Kodiak, Friday.

Lazy Bay LLC personnel, under contract by the FWS, plugged openings in the sunken vessel and are working to refloat it.

The Kodiak Harbormaster discovered the sunken vessel at 3:30 a.m., and deployed containment boom around the Arluk to minimize pollution.

MSD Kodiak personnel were notified and arrived on-scene at 3:50 a.m.

“We are working with federal and local partners to quickly respond to the situation and minimize any impact from the sinking,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Ben Stixrud, a pollution investigator with MSD Kodiak. “Protecting Alaska’s pristine maritime environment is a priority for the Coast Guardsmen who work and live here.”

The vessel was reported to have approximately 1500 gallons of diesel fuel onboard at the time of the sinking.

Absorbant pads and oil boom float around the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service research vessel Arluk after it sank at the pier in St. Herman’s harbor in Kodiak, Alaska, Feb. 8, 2012. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan Klingenberg.